Machete Freighter

What do you guys think about cargo pod size? Thinking out loud here, not proposing any change yet.

After watching Firefly a little more, I am thinking that perhaps the current pods are too large. And perhaps one of the reasons the ships seem so small is that you never really fly any ships that are "real life" size. Even the tugs are monsters.

I was thinking about the Machete and its two docked cargo tenders. What if the standard pod size was smaller, and you needed to push them around a bit with flitters, or even tugs. Shane, were you lamenting cargo pods handling themselves?

Smaller cargo pods have a few other advantages. You can more easily believe they are stored inside stations. You could have ships that store cargo in internal storage. Smuggling can happen in smaller increments - a player who delivers 500 tons of stolen drugs would be dropping off a years supply.

-Gtrout

The pods are big - you are right, but is it clever to resize them?
Don't you have to resize the freighters too?
Or should there be a third podsize? (there is already one for the storm petrel in act 0)

The smaller stations should store the pods outside, docked to their body (to that "ladder" construct maybe?) - so they are not internal.
That would open up some nice possibilitys for cargo hunt or trading.(after shooting the station it releases the pods?)

The megafreighters could collect the smaller pods at the transfer stations (one per system as you mentioned)
These transfer stations could be some kind of central marketplace.

Shane, were you lamenting cargo pods handling themselves?

Not specifically on this model. I intended the shuttles to be methods of conducting business without the cost of dragging the entire ship to a region (like the Nostromo's shuttle Narcissus) . Also as lifeboats. But that was nixed for EoC... the system's not set up to handle secondary craft docked to player ships. (Not without serious alteration anyway.)

Speaking of the Nostromo, check out this model being created by D. Proctor at members.ozemail.com.au/~dproc/

http://images.snapfish.com/3398393923232%7Ffp58%3Dot%3E2328%3D%3C2%3C%3D8%3A8%3DXROQDF%3E232349%3A5%3A9249ot1lsi

This guy makes these models and then gives them away for free. Definately a site to check out. He's got many free models: The Sulaco, a Fighting Machine from Jeff Wayne's version of the War of the Worlds, and a really pretty destroyer/battleship.

Damn, what a georgous ship! I find ships like these to be prettier than streamlined EoC ships.

<font size="1"><font face="Book Antiqua"><font color="black">"Never before in the history of the world had such a mass of human beings moved and suffered together. This was no disciplined march; it was a stampede-- without order and without a goal, six million people unarmed and unprovisioned, driving headlong. It was the beginning of the rout of Civilisation... of the massacre of Mankind."
--H. G. Wells The War Of The Worlds</font id="black"></font id="Book Antiqua"> </font id="size1">

damn, thats a nice looking ship, i like how there isnt even a hint of aerodynamics to it, that always bothers me in a space sim, when your ships look like experimental fighter jets

"Faith lies in the ways of sin"

Nice site, great models. I really like the Thunderchild. I didn't realize the Nostromo was all engine. Look at the rear views.

As pods go, I was thinking of using that smaller sized pod as standard. The freighters could haul either size. The larger one would carry 5 or 10 units of the good. 500 tons of vehicles would be worth a few million credits.

I like the externally docked pods idea. The traffic script could dock them. After a bit they could change to empty. Then they could change to station goods, then they could undock and link up to the next freighter. I am already storing volatile ammo and fuel in external pods (so those rebel characters have something to blow up).

I wonder if it would work to put two docking ports on opposite sides of a pod. One general, and one cargo. The tug could grab the general port, and then drag the pod near the freighter, let go and the pod would click to the cargo port side. Freighters would stay a safe distance out from the station. Tugs would run ferry. (otherwise, what do all these tugs do for a living anyway?).



-Gtrout

I didn't realize the Nostromo was all engine. Look at the rear views.

Not only that, it also utilizes the thruster-flaps for control (like the comsec in the INA forum post). I noticed the Thunderchild uses them too. And it has the 4 'chutes' to direct thrust downward for planetary landings (the Nostromo... not the Thunderchild).

I imagine with the refinery ditched, the Nostromo would be a really fast ship.

<edit> clarification

<font size="1"><font face="Book Antiqua"><font color="black">"Never before in the history of the world had such a mass of human beings moved and suffered together. This was no disciplined march; it was a stampede-- without order and without a goal, six million people unarmed and unprovisioned, driving headlong. It was the beginning of the rout of Civilisation... of the massacre of Mankind."
--H. G. Wells The War Of The Worlds</font id="black"></font id="Book Antiqua"> </font id="size1">